Let Me Into Your Heart
by Beverly McIntyre
Summary: A sentimental tale between Longshot and Rogue set at Christmas time.


**Disclaimer:** The X-Men and affiliated people belong to Marvel. I am using them without permission. No profit is being made from the telling of this tale. [It's the holiday season, and I feel like sharing.]

**Continuity:** Continuity? We don't need no stinkin' continuity!

**Feedback:** Will be nurtured and loved so it grows big and strong at bkittle@creighton.edu

**Note:**  
_italics_ = a person's inward wish list  
}-{ = a telepath's tidings  
**bold** = the clatter that arose

* * *

Let Me Into Your Heart  
By: Beverly McIntyre

Rogue pulled the collar up higher on her leather jacket as her head sunk lower on her shoulders. A cold wind blew over her as the rush of shoppers continued to go in and out of the mall doors she was standing next to. She idly watched the people come and go as she took a sip of her hot cocoa, which was now lukewarm cocoa. She was getting toward the bottom of the cup, where the chocolaty morass she loved accumulated. She set the cup down on the low wall she was leaning against. _Where is he?_

**dingdingdingdingding** The Salvation Army bell ringer continued on with his ceaseless ringing. Rogue watched as every once in awhile a shopper would stop and put some pocket change into the small, red bucket before scurrying on. Rogue noted that more often than not the people who stopped to drop in the donations were parents with kids who wanted to throw their parents money into the bucket. Rogue's attention was ripped away from the hustle and bustle around the red-smocked bell ringer when she felt a hand pat her shoulder. She looked into the wrinkled face of an old man.

"Merry Christmas, dear." He smiled toothily at her before disappearing into the hustle and bustle. Rogue looked confused as she reached for her cup of cocoa sitting next to her. _At least some people are in the Christmas spirit._ She watched the crowds as she took a sip from her paper cup. She stopped in mid-swallow and gagged when she felt solid objects in her mouth besides the cocoa. She quickly spit the mouthful of cocoa back into the cup. She tilted the paper cup until the cocoa accumulated into a small puddle that reached up the side of the cup. There in the chocolaty dregs of cocoa sat a quarter and two dimes. Rogue sighed as the best part of the cocoa was ruined.

"What's wrong? Cocoa go bad?" Rogue looked up to see Longshot sitting on the low wall right next to her. He tilted his head in concern. Rogue felt a warm rush inside her just like she had gulped down steaming cocoa. _Why is it he always does that to me?_

"No, Ah just got an unexpected donation to mah Christmas funds." Longshot pushed himself of the wall and landed next to her. Rogue didn't know how jumping down about a foot could seem graceful but Longshot always managed to pull it off. It reminded her of one of her silly fantasies she had about him back when they were in Australia. She had envisioned him in a pair of tights and other ballet regalia. He had put Baryshnikov to shame in those idle fancies.

"Neat. Let's go." He grabbed her gloved hand and started to lead her through the teaming swarms of Christmas shoppers. Rogue huddled herself closer to the back of his leather jacket to keep her from accidentally brushing against anybody else. Longshot may have been a man of slight frame, but that didn't really matter when the women and girls in the crowd paused and stepped back [usually on somebody's toes] to get a better look at him. Half of the crowd was parting like the Red Sea. It wouldn't be good for her to absorb all the Christmas shoppers memories and emotions at the moment. With the amount of frustration running atop the holiday cheer, she'd probably go insane.

Once the duo got clear of the crowds streaming in and out of the mall doors, Longshot stopped suddenly, forcing Rogue to press her face into the back of his leather jacket. She backed up a step and let go of Longshot's hand.

"Somethin' wrong, sugah?"

"Rogue, look at this place. It's so sparkly and pretty." Rogue looked around the mall. Every nook and cranny of the mall had been swathed in Holiday cheer, from the strings of twinkling lights to the metallic-colored bows to the giant Christmas tree set up in the center of the mall. Longshot had the look of child-like awe over his handsome features.

Rogue hated to break into his moment of wonder, but being in a packed mall was making her a bit antsy. She wasn't normally so uncomfortable in large crowds, but she really didn't want to stay in this packed mall any longer than she had to. _Give me the wide open spaces of a beautiful blue sky over this anytime._

"C'mon, sugah, we'd best be gettin' your shopping done. Ya got the lists?" Longshot tore his eyes away from the decorated splendor around him and dug folded pieces of paper out of his pocket.

"Yep. I got them." He handed them over to Rogue. 

She unfolded the pieces of paper carefully, mindful that a gal who can benchpress a few Buicks has to be a bit more careful when it comes to flimsy things such as paper. She smoothed out the papers and looked down at the neatly written list of names. The handwriting was unmistakably Jean's; it couldn't have been Hank's or Logan's since it was still legible. Besides, nobody else at the mansion made those little curly-Q's on their s's, q's, and capital r's.

Rogue looked down the list. Most names were crossed off leaving a handful of people left for Longshot to buy for. _Looks like Jean and Storm did quite a good job with shopping with him earlier._ That reminded Rogue that Jean and Wolvy were also somewhere in this mall, too. _If I need help all I have to do is mentally scream at the top of my lungs or smell of overwhelming distress._

"So, Longshot, ya ready?" Rogue looked up from the small lists of what people wanted for the holidays to see Longshot was no longer standing next to her. _Oh, no! Don't tell me he wandered off._ Rogue turned the other way to see Longshot standing in front of the glass window to a jewelry store. Rogue let out a sigh of relief. She didn't need him getting any of his bouts of wanderlust in the middle of a busy mall.

Longshot looked down at the jewelry displayed behind the window and rubbed his chin. He turned to Rogue as she came up behind him.

"Do you think Betsy'll like that?" He pointed to an opulent little necklace. Rogue choked upon seeing the price tag attached to it.

"She might, sugah, but Ah don't think even Warren could afford that." Longshot looked back at the necklace. If Warren couldn't afford it, then it wasn't likely he could with the rest of his Christmas present cash. "How about we try somethin' a little less expensive?"

Longshot looked over at her. "Like what?"

"Well," Rogue looked down at the list of possible presents Psylocke had managed to scribble down. _Good lord, is this in Japanese? Ah can't read a word o'this._ "How about some bath oils an' stuff. That looks t' be safe."

"That won't say 'I think you're stinky'?"

Rogue tried not to laugh. " No. It's a gift Ah'm sure she'll enjoy."

"Okay. Let's go." He reached down and grabbed her gloved hand and started to lead her away from the jewelry shop.

"Longshot."

"Hmm?"

"The bath shop is that way."

"Oh. Okay."

* * *

It had been three hours, and Rogue was about ready to suffer a serious case of maul, err mall madness. They had checked and double checked that everybody had a gift. She had had to keep Longshot from getting her to sit on Santa Claus's lap multiple times. She ran a finger down the list one last time. _Jasmine-scented bath stuff for Betts, a Charles Bronson triple pack o' movies for Wolvy, some Errol Flynn movies for Kurt, and some natural stuff from that nature shop for Storm. Ah wonder what he got for me?_

"So, Longshot, ready to go?" The mall noise that answered her instead of Longshot was not heartening. "Longshot?" Rogue looked up from the papers to see Longshot was nowhere near her. She looked left then right, not spotting him anywhere. She looked behind her and felt her heart sink when she saw no sign of him.

_Oh, God! He jus' wandered off int' a crowded mall!_ Rogue felt her heart skip a few beats at that thought. She quickly collected up the bags of presents. _Somebody could snatch him from . . . STOP IT! He isn't a two-year-old. No one's going to kidnap a 6'2" man._

_Unless they're female . . ._ Rogue had no idea what direction he had wandered off into, but right now, moving in one of them seemed more productive than standing still. She picked one direction and started out that direction calling his name while mentally trying to get Jean's attention.

_Jean._ No reply.

_Rogue to Jean._ When there was still no reply, Rogue stopped and clenched her eyes shut.

_JEAN!_

}I hear you, Rogue. But barely. There's so many people here, it's hard to hear you over the din of anger and frustration. There's also a latent telepath here making it even harder. What's the problem?{

_Yeah. Nice. Great. Can you find Longshot? He wandered off._ There was a pause that seemed like an eternity.

}I'm not sensing much outside of the telepath. I must be really close to him. I'll contact Logan. He'll find Longshot soon enough. Don't worry, Rogue. We'll find him.{

Rogue still couldn't help but worry. Longshot had been her responsibility while at the mall. He hadn't been to the mall before and Rogue had been charged with keeping him in one piece. Unbidden, mental images of Longshot getting torn apart by a liquid-metal cyborg in the back halls of the mall ran rampant through her head. _Maybe Ah shouldn't have watched Terminator 2 last night . . ._

}Rogue, Logan says we all should meet down in front of the day-care center and go from there.{

_Ah'll be right there._ Rogue resisted the urge to fly straight to the daycare center. There was no need for her to incite anti-mutant hysteria while trying to find Longshot. However, the sooner she got there, the sooner she, Jean, and Wolvy could find Longshot. Rogue pushed her way through the crowds that suddenly seemed to be going in the opposite direction she was.

Finally through the crowds, she spotted the daycare center and made a bee-line toward it. Wolverine stood outside of it in his civilian clothes of choice: t-shirt, blue jeans, and cowboy boots. He waved at Rogue as she approached. Out of the corner of her eye, Rogue saw Jean coming from a side hallway, looking concerned. She obviously still hadn't found Longshot telepathically yet. Rogue became even more worried.

"Before we go, let me get somebody out o' there first." Logan thumbed toward the daycare center. Jean and Rogue exchanged glances as he turned toward the center and strolled up to the desk at the front.

"Something's up," Jean observed. "He's too calm." Rogue nodded in agreement as they both followed a few steps behind him.

Logan went up and leaned against the desk. He cleared his throat once to catch the attention of the teenage attendant sitting behind the desk. She glanced up from her book.

"What can I do for you?" She sounded as enthusiastic as a sloth.

"I'm here to pick up the kid." The teenager blinked at him.

"Which one? We have-" She glanced down at a sheet of paper at her elbow. "-fifty-two of them at the moment."

"Fifty-three actually." The teenager blinked at him again as Rogue and Jean exchanged concerned glances. After all these years, was Wolverine finally losing it? "Look, I want the kid in there that's over six-foot tall."

"Oh. That one." The attendant got up from her seat and walked over to the doors. She opened them up and ducked immediately as a rubber ball flew at her head. "Hey! Stop that!"

There were squeals of laughter from the other side of the door. "Your . . ." The attendant looked over her shoulder at Logan, Jean and Rogue. " . . . family is here."

A chorus of disappointed "aw's" came from the kids on the other side of the door. There was a pause as there was a shuffling from behind the door. The attendant stepped back as Longshot emerged from the daycare. He waved at the kids inside as he backed out.

"Bye kids." Multiple giggling voices returned the good-bye. Longshot turned to his waiting 'family.' "Hi guys!"

The attendant plopped back down in her chair and watched the cutest guy she had ever seen walk off with the hairiest man she had ever seen and two ladies who seemed to be laying simultaneous guilt trips on him. She sighed and buried herself back into her book. "People."

* * *

Rogue was very angry with Longshot. He had gotten her all worried at the mall and had actually been having the time of his life with a bunch of kids in the daycare. Rogue had been deathly silent on the way home and no amount of cajoling from Longshot could get her to say anything.

Rogue looked out of her frosted window and sighed. Why did he do this to her? She was starting to feel like a little girl. She could just imagine getting caught by the Professor for passing a note that says she liked Longshot. _Now those would be the days . . ._

Rogue's reverie was broken by a hesitant knocking on her door. She had a pretty good idea who was on the other side of the door.

"C'mon in, Longshot." The door opened, but it wasn't Longshot on the other side. Logan stood in her doorway with a small, gaily wrapped present in his hand.

"I ain't the kid, but I come bearing his gift to ya." Rogue blinked at him.

"Why didn't Longshot come up here himself?" She asked as she slid off of the window sill. He normally wasn't one to avoid people.

"He wasn't sure how mad ya were at him. He decided to let somebody else deliver the present. Besides, he's on this odd kick askin' everybody how Santa delivers the gifts under the tree without anybody noticing. 'Ro's havin' a tough time fieldin' all his questions." Rogue smiled. That sounded like Longshot. She reached out and took the present from Logan's hands. "Merry Christmas, kid."

"Merry Christmas, Wolvy," Rogue said as she plopped down on her bed. Logan lingered at Rogue's doorway as she ripped into the wrapping paper. After tossing bits of wrapping paper all over the place, Rogue opened the simple, white box and gasped. With a hand quivering in disbelief, she drew out a beautifully-crafted locket. The simple golden locket had a small, heart-shaped ruby set in it. She carefully cracked open the locket to find a small picture of Longshot inside and an inscription. The inscription read: No matter how much I worry you, I know I'll always have a place in your heart.

Logan smiled at Rogue. "The kid's down in the living room."

"Thanks, Wolvy." Rogue was up and flying toward the living room. She found Longshot sitting next to Storm, asking if there was any security system that could keep Santa out. And if there was one, who would be that mean? He looked up as Rogue came flying into the room.

"Rogue! Am I back on your nice list?"

She landed in front of him as he got up from the couch. Storm watched with a knowing smile. Rogue looked up into his sparkling blue eyes.

"You were never off it, sugah." 

Longshot raised his arms for a hug. "Merry Christmas?"

Rogue, careful not to make skin-to-skin contact, hugged him. She nuzzled into her leather-jacketed shoulder, eyes brimming with tears of happiness.

"Merry Christmas, sugah."

~fin 


End file.
